One nice aspect of travel is of course to admire the colorful local garments worn by women and men. Vibrant hues, shimmering fabrics, lace, flowers, elaborate gold ornaments, at the sight of all this abundance, the temptation is there to slip into the role of local.
However, there is a fine line between blending in and making a fool of oneself. Of course, many of the most elaborate costumes are only worn on special occasions and celebrations anyway, so they are definitely out. But what about everyday wear like kimonos, saris, dirndls and, yes, Lederhosen?? Would or should you as a clearly Western woman don a kimono and cloggs and go shopping in broad daylight in Tokyo's Ginza? Should you squeeze yourself into the thight bodice of a dirndl and stroll across the Viktualienmarkt in Munich if you happen to hail from Ghana? Or are Lederhosen ok for a gentleman from Japan who enjoys a Mass or five at the Oktoberfest?
I think not. The exception are, for woman, Arabic countries where they have to cover up. Saris and kimonos could be ok for evening wear if you are not a local.
Headscarves, long sleeved blouses and baggy pants are often worn (and expected) by women who are engaged or married to a Turkish man.
And the Lederhosen best fit the muscular bodies of the local lads.
For fun I tried on the antique caftan you see in the picture. I couldn't have left the shop with it anyway, the price was skyhigh.
Any opinons about the subject would be much appreciated.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Dress like a local--or rather not?
One nice aspect of travel is of course to admire the colorful local garments worn by women and men. Vibrant hues, shimmering fabrics, lace, flowers, elaborate gold ornaments, at the sight of all this abundance, the temptation is there to slip into the role of local.
However, there is a fine line between blending in and making a fool of oneself. Of course, many of the most elaborate costumes are only worn on special occasions and celebrations anyway, so they are definitely out. But what about everyday wear like kimonos, saris, dirndls and, yes, Lederhosen?? Would or should you as a clearly Western woman don a kimono and cloggs and go shopping in broad daylight in Tokyo's Ginza? Should you squeeze yourself into the thight bodice of a dirndl and stroll across the Viktualienmarkt in Munich if you happen to hail from Ghana? Or are Lederhosen ok for a gentleman from Japan who enjoys a Mass or five at the Oktoberfest?
I think not. The exception are, for woman, Arabic countries where they have to cover up. Saris and kimonos could be ok for evening wear if you are not a local.
Headscarves, long sleeved blouses and baggy pants are often worn (and expected) by women who are engaged or married to a Turkish man.
And the Lederhosen best fit the muscular bodies of the local lads.
For fun I tried on the antique caftan you see in the picture. I couldn't have left the shop with it anyway, the price was skyhigh.
Any opinons about the subject would be much appreciated.
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I think there are places where you can try out dressing with a traditional local outfit, sometimes emulation is a good compliment. But, only as long as you are not making a fool of yourself or insulting them with your acts. And in my opinion, if you're going to wear it, you have to feel comfortable in it.
ReplyDeletePersonally I haven't dresses with a traditional outfit from any of the countries I've visited, but would love to try it one day if the dress and occasion feel correct.
Inka,
ReplyDeleteI would be hesitant to as well....mostly because I would wonder if the locals would think I'm mocking them. I don't know why I feel this way....I may buy an item to wear once I'm home, but to wear it there.....I don't think so.
One thing you do have to do though is to dress appropriately. Example: in places like Morocco you better not wear skimy clothes and shorts, short skirts or shorts. Bear in mind what the customs are and dress appropriately.
ReplyDeleteGreat write, but I feel sad when some of the foreigners try too hard in dressing like the locals, especially in Southeast Asia. I think this works well in the middle east though.
ReplyDeleteDavid @ MalaysiaAsia
I can't speak from a woman's perspective but I ALWAYS try and dress like locals when I can. I HATE looking like a tourist and really try and fit in. In Europe, I always wear long pants, casual shoes (no tennis shoes), and shirts with no writing on them. It's just how I choose to travel.
ReplyDeleteI don't make a point of dressing like the locals. However, if the occasion presents itself and I feel comfortable then I will.
ReplyDeleteThere are certain situations where you have to abide by certain dress codes such as long sleeved shirts in temples etc. So in this respect, you should always dress like the locals. As for traditional outfits it all depends on the context that it is in. i gave up the bare feet in America because everyone looked at me weird- in Australia, its perfectly normal to walk around bare feet.
ReplyDeleteI try to blend in where possible, and always when it's an issue of respect. I think it's just easier and safer as a solo female traveler.
ReplyDeleteI like to fit in and dress like a local when possible. If nothing else, I definitely do things like cover up when going to a place of worship.
ReplyDeleteAs another blonde Floridian, married to an Egyptian, I find that people in the host country REALLY appreciate a nice salwar kameez or caftan. It presents a better image of the American female than kakhi and tennis shoes, baseball cap and fanny pack. THEN, when we return home, the clothing extends our memories!
ReplyDeleteNice to have a dinner party HERE of Turkish or Indian food and THEN serve our guests in festive garb. These are the little niceties that enhance the art of travel!
"Headscarves, long sleeved blouses and baggy pants are often worn (and expected) by women who are engaged or married to a Turkish man."
ReplyDeleteNo, actually, most of us married to Turks aren't told what to wear at all. As an American 10-year resident of Selcuk and now living in Istanbul with my Turkish husband, we women dress pretty much as we please, from the latest in Western fashion to the practical rural outfit you describe. "Dressing like a local" could be nearly anything in Turkey.
I'd personally love to wear that gorgeous Ottoman caftan in your photo, but other women here would think I'd gone crazy - no one has dressed like that in Turkey for a 100 years.
Check out these two links on this subject:
http://rosedeniz.blogspot.com/2010/09/cultural-style-memo.html
Note what's said about Israel in the 3rd paragraph also goes for Turkey: http://www.expatharem.com/2010/10/20/dress-like-a-local/
Thanks for sharing my link to Cultural Style Memo, Catherine (Bazaar Bayar)... I would have to heartily agree with you that dressing local in Turkey has a lot to do with the region one lives in, class, occupation, and age, to some extent. In fact, I find more than not that I am underdressed compared to my stylish, up-do'ed, colleagues, friends, and neighbors. Since moving to Turkey, and being married to a Turkish man, I finally embraced tailored, fitted clothing!
ReplyDeleteAt Women Of The Rock {WOTR} Ministry we teach and educated married and single women on ways to live a happy life and for those that are single we advice on ways to meet your life partner through the understanding of the word of GOD. Subscribe today and get daily information and advice by sending us an email to wotrministry@yahoo.com {http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003815422298}
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